Chapter 18.

                                    

                                          
Eddie's P.O.V
Spring Break is almost over, and that means it's almost time to go back to school. This will be another year for me to be a senior in high school, but no surprise there. The only reason I stayed back so many times was because I kept failing most of my classes; I stopped paying attention a long time ago. I wanted to quit, but my Uncle told me if I wanted a place to live, I had to stay in school. After being told I would have to repeat my senior year again, I told my Uncle I would just live in my van and quit school. The last thing I wanted was to still be in school. 
Though, I guess if I didn't stay, I wouldn't have met Dustin, Lucas, and Mike. I'm hoping this year I'll graduate and be done. I told Mike and Dustin to take over the Hellfire Club for me once I was done with school. Knowing my luck, though, I'll still be stuck in Hawkins. For the longest time, I've thought about leaving and traveling, maybe looking for my mom and seeing where she ended up. If she was smart enough, she would've left Hawkins and wouldn't return. I imagine she would return for me, but that hasn't happened yet.
Instead of calling (Y/n) again, I picked up the phone and dialed Dustin's number. After the third ring, someone finally picked up. "Hello?" It wasn't Dustin's voice on the other end this time; I'm assuming it was his mother. I had never spoken to Dustin's mother before. 
"Hi, this is Eddie Munson. I'm sorry; I was just wondering if I could talk to Dustin. Is he home?" 
"He actually just left. I think he went over to (Y/n)'s house."  
Great. Of course, he did! "Thank you. I'll give her a call then." I hung up the phone and went outside instead of calling her. When I got outside, a few children were playing, and some of the adults were watching them. My first memories of this place were when I was really young, maybe 3? My mom and dad were in and out of homes, and they thought it was best to stay with my Uncle for a bit. My dad would always steal shit from people's cars when they were asleep; back then, though, I didn't know it was wrong. That's when my mom left; she said she would return, which she never did. My dad told me that she met someone new and they left together. I was told she would eventually come back. My uncle was pissed off at my dad for giving me false hope, but I always imagined she would return. 
"Hey, Eddie." I look up and see Max standing in front of me. I didn't even notice at first, but once I shook the memory of my mother from my head is when I saw her.
"Oh, hey." 
"You okay there?" She looked amused. 
"I'm fine." I lied. I took a cigarette out from my pack and lit it up. 
"Yeah, sure." She rolled her eyes, not believing my lie. 
"What's up?" I asked, trying to change the subject. 
"Nothing, I came outside to get some fresh air, and I noticed you standing out here. You looked lost or something. I'm guessing something was on your mind." 
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I was just thinking about my mom. She left when I was little, but it's whatever now. I'm not going to lose hope in her coming back. She probably has a whole new family." I didn't want that to bother me; I hadn't seen her since I was little, but the thought that she had a new family hurt. 
"I get it." She nodded.
"Anyway, I was planning on heading out." I threw my cigarette on the ground and stomped it out. 
"Oh, okay. I'll talk to you later then." Max started to walk off, but I caught up with her. 
"You can come by later on. I shouldn't be gone too long. I may not know what you're going through exactly, but I'm a great listener, and you just tell me whatever it is that's on your mind." I smiled at her.
"Yeah, sounds good. I'll see you later then." She smiled back, and this time she walked off a little happier. 
I get into my van and start the engine, but where do I go? I could always leave Hawkins and not turn back. Or maybe I could stop by (Y/n)'s house? Dammit, I don't know what to do. I back out, not knowing where I'm heading. There is no specific destination; I just drive and see where it takes me. 
After almost an hour of driving, I end up at Lovers Lake. But that's not where I want to be, so I park my van and take a walk over to Skull Rock. When I was younger, I would come out here with my friends to get away from my uncle, and we would smoke some pot that Reefer Rick would sell to us. Sometimes I would just come out here to get away from people. There was one time I came out here, and I realized it was the perfect hiding spot. I doubt anyone would find me out here, and that's okay with me. I want to be alone with my thoughts for a while. As I settle in, I take out another cigarette and smoke it. 
"Eddie." I hear my name being called. 
"What the hell?" I stand up and look out to see Dustin, Lucas, Max, and (Y/n) walking towards me.
How the hell did they find me out here?